I love to resale shop whenever I get a chance. You never know what you will find. Boy did I get lucky this week!! My friend Teri and I went into a Goodwill and she spotted a large case suspecting it was a sewing machine under it. Well guess what... It was a used Janome sewing machine in mint condition with everything still included!! The best part was it cost only $24.95. This was an unbelievable deal!! Teri showed me the basic mechanics of the machine and we were thrilled to learn that it worked perfectly!!
If you ask any quilter I bet they have multiple machines in their homes. I know I do!!
My main sewing machine is a Baby Lock Espire. I've owned it for about 13 years. I also inherited my mothers very old Singer Featherweight machine. I used to watch her sew my barbie clothes with it! I guess that is how I learned to sew along with a terrible home economics sewing class I took at Johnston Jr. High. Ugh...I hated that class!! I'm not good at making clothing that would fit, but I can make an awesome art quilt!
So head out to your local resale shops and see what you can find, when you aren't looking! Your purchase is always for a good cause.
Lately I’ve been looking through online sites for pie recipes that interest me. Since I like cooking I ran across this recipe on Food.com. Can you believe they have a recipe on how to make ice cubes at home. Seriously??? Do you really need a recipe to make ice?? Here is the recipe:
Empty the ice cubes that are left in the trays (if there are any left) into the bin.
Take the trays over to the sink and fill them with cold water. (Hot water will freeze faster and more clear).
Place the water filled ice trays back in the freezer.
Replace the ice bin if you had to remove it.
Shut the door to the freezer.
Be sure to leave for around 4-6 hours at least to make sure it is frozen.
If you want to experiment, you can freeze things like fruit infused waters or juices.
I captured this image at our neighborhood Halloween party. This young boy was hiding under a table and every once in a while he would lean over and eat some of the ice in the tub. Finally we asked him if he would just like a cup of ice! Probably not the cleanest ice to eat though…
My dog Wolfie loves to eat ice. Whenever we go to dispense some ice he is right there waiting for his piece! We have an in the door ice maker on our freezer which makes things so easy. I think it is a real southern thing to always have ice in our glasses. We like our beverages cold.
Just a bit of trivia for you today… Pagophagia is the name of the medical condition that means compulsive ice eating. Craving ice can be a sign of a nutritional deficiency or an eating disorder. It may even harm your quality of life. Chewing ice can also can lead to dental problems, such as enamel loss and tooth decay.
“Ice Ice Baby” is a hip hop song by American rapper Vanilla Ice, and DJ Earthquake.
It was the coolest song of 1990.
By the way, I found a pumpkin pie recipe which I baked today! We can’t wait to taste it.
If you google how to grow out your gray hair gracefully they tell you to cut your hair really REALLY short. Just go for the major “big chop” job. This will make you happier. But another alternative is to transition with highlights and lowlights. But that meant still dyeing ones hair. I was not a fan of either of those methods.
The choice to stop dyeing your hair and go completely natural…and gray… is one many women battle. In the end, it’s about the way you feel about yourself inside and out! Some women choose to put down the dye bottle at age thirty and others continue well into their nineties. But for me the Corona Virus Pandemic was the time I chose to embrace this adventure and give up the expense and time of dyeing my hair. I had been thinking about it for a good 6 months but with two weddings in 2019 I thought better than to present myself with gray roots! So when March of 2020 rolled around and we were in full lockdown mode, I stopped dyeing my hair for good! No more excuses and it was the best decision I ever made!
My hairdresser told me that it would take a good two years for it to completely grow out. I refused to cut my hair short so this was the way I dealt with going gray. I just decided to take really good care of my hair and keep it trimmed every few months. I have to admit it was strange at first. If I didn’t look in the mirror or wore a hat whenever I went out, I totally forgot about it. But people would comment about it. Some would express horror that I would do such a thing. Others were very supportive and would tell me how pretty I was with my new look. Not sure my husband was 100% on board either. Here is a short photo montage of my adventure:
This was taken the last month I dyed my hair, February 2020. I flew to Detroit to celebrate Phyllis’s 90th birthday! She has the most amazing gray hair and she’s never dyed it! Looking back on this photo my hair was so dark! UGH…
November 2020… 7 months into my growth. We were in San Diego waiting for the arrival of our first grandchild!
January 2021… 10 months. I was so proud to get my first vaccine shot!
April 2021… 13 months. Great snuggles with Noa, my granddaughter!
September 2021… 18 months
It Took a Global Pandemic for Me to Finally Embrace Going Gray. How about you? Are you ready to let your gray color fly or are you still a slave to coloring your hair?
I can’t believe that it has been three years since I have taken the time to write on my blog! I’ve been so busy with “life” that I haven’t been paying attention to my blog. It’s like reconnecting with an old friend. This feels so good to be back!
I would like to talk about some of my latest art projects that I have been working on. So many people are asking me about some of my beautiful baby tag quilts that I make to give as gifts. Yes, I sell them by word of mouth but I’m thinking of letting more people know they are available for sale.
My great nephew, Henry, was the first to inspire me to design one. He was the first to ever receive one from me! On his head is the bag that you would use to store it when he has outgrown the quilt. My hope is that his mother will put it away and save it for when Henry has his own child one day!
I’ve also had requests for my Boobala Bibs. Boobala is a Jewish nickname which is a term of endearment. My mother would always address all my letters to me by writing: “My Dear Sweet Boobala”. My mother would also call her granddaughter Avery, Boobala. Thus the perfect name was set for the launch of my bibs.
Boobala Bibs were created for my very first granddaughter! I am now calling her Boobala. I have to carry on the legacy, right?
This is Noa eating her breakfast this morning wearing one of the bibs I made her. There is a coating on the front of the bib which allows you to just wash off the food after she eats. There is a handy pocket that will catch the food that doesn’t make it into her mouth.
The word gluttony comes from the Latin word “gluttire” meaning to gulp down or swallow and is understood to mean over- indulgence and over-consumption of food, drink, or wealth to the point of extravagance or waste.
We were recently at the Houston Astro’s baseball game a few weeks ago on a Tuesday night. Minute Maid Park hosts Dollar $ Dog Night, presented by Nolan Ryan Beef! (Nolan was once our star pitcher) You can catch the Astros and all you can eat dollar $ hot dogs! This gentleman is really enjoying his dogs!! He was balancing 4 loaded dogs on his lap! That is why the word “Glutton” came to mind.
The Town of Frisco , with an elevation of over 9,000 feet, is in Summit County, Colorado. It is a popular town among skiers from around the world because 4 major ski resorts are located in close proximity to Frisco. You can find Copper Mountain, Breckenridge, Keystone, and Arapahoe Basin. The population of Frisco is only a few thousand people that call it home year round.
We visited two weeks ago to actually go hiking with our cousin. The Frisco Fall Art Festival was happening that day. Walking up and down the one main street in town I enjoyed taking some street photography.
This gentleman was squatting on his blanket to draw his art while smoking a cigarette. He never looked up and was very focused on his painting. Which was actually really good!
Seriously… This dog was being driven around town in a crate on the back of her motorcycle!
Whether you call it ‘putting the dog to sleep’, ‘putting the dog down’ or ‘euthanizing the dog’, it’s a subject no one wants to talk about. Early this morning we made that difficult decision to put our almost 15 year old Bichon, Zoey, to sleep. We are now left to second-guess our decision and wrestle with feelings of loss and guilt – it’s not peaceful at all for her humans!!
Euthanasia is a loving escape out of a painful body that doesn’t work. She definitely had all the signs of suffering. She was panting, falling down and stumbling, body stiffness, difficulty getting up and difficulty laying down.
She was an EXCELLENT companion for our family and we will truly miss her…
Texas is home to the bigger, better burger. Whataburger uses only fresh ingredients, 100% pure American beef, served on a big, toasted five-inch bun. In 1950, Harmon Dobson opened a hamburger restaurant. Dobson’s goal was to “make a delicious burger that took two hands to hold and tasted so good that when you took a bite you would say ‘What a burger!’
Whataburger was known for many years for its distinct A-framed orange-and-white-stripe-roofed buildings.
One of Whataburger’s most popular items isn’t on the menu, but diners go home with it all the time. The Texas-based burger chain is so beloved in the South that its “table tents”—the little plastic A-frame order numbers customers get as they wait for their food to be delivered—often don’t make it back to the stack at the cash register.
If you haven’t stolen a Whataburger table tent with your lucky number (or your birthday or anniversary or jersey number) on it, are you really a Texan?
I mean, probably not, but have you ever stopped to think about the fact that literally thousands of people are stealing these numbers. And also, it is stealing. Which is illegal!!
Whataburger does enjoy all the free advertising. You can even buy a full set of them on Ebay.
So stop by a Whataburger if you are visiting Texas. You will agree with me that this is one delicious hamburger!
The letter “C” brings to mind CAKE. Lots and lots of sweets to choose from whenver you go to a cafeteria. Do you usually go for chocolate, vanilla, fruit filled, or the unusual combination?
“Eeny, meeny, miny, moe” can be spelled a number of ways. It is a children’s counting rhyme that is used to make a selection in games such as tag, trying to make a choice, or singling something out. This rhyme has existed in various forms since well before 1820! Here is one that I grew up with…
Eeny, meeny, miny, moe,
Catch a tiger by the toe.
If he hollers, let him go,
Eeny, meeny, miny, moe.
I’ll choose the Boston Cream Pie Cake every time!!!! Which one is your favorite?
Barbie first appeared in my life back in the 60’s. From researching her life she was born March 9, 1959. That means that she would be almost 60 years old. Mattel has sold over a billion Barbie dolls, making it the company’s largest and most profitable line. Her entourage included her sisters Skipper, Stacie, Chelsea, along with Ken, Bridget, Midge, Todd, Tutti, and a few others.
Criticisms of Barbie are often centered around concerns that children consider Barbie a role model. One of the most common criticisms of Barbie is that she promotes an unrealistic idea of body image leading to a risk that girls who attempt to emulate her looks. Barbie’s vital statistics have been estimated at 36 inches (chest), 18 inches (waist) and 33 inches (hips). I don’t EVER remember wanting to look like her!
I do have to admit that I saved all my original Barbie dolls. My mother would sew clothes for them on her Singer 221 Feather Weight sewing machine which is even older than Barbie! My hope was that I would one day give them to my own daughter to play with. But when she received a new Barbie as a gift for her 4th birthday, and I caught her pulling the head and limbs off of the doll, I decided to pack them away. I quickly changed my mind!!
BEATS PER MINUTE 